Dragon Song
by itsthatchrono
Summary: The adventures of two girls and their pokemon, and the dark secret of their world.
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time...

Don't they all start that way? The old tales, I mean. The ones that have a happy ending.

Once upon a time...

It lets you know that no matter how much evil there is in a tale, the end will always work out.

Once upon a time...

Sometimes though, the tale comes from real life, and the "once upon a time" is the happy part, and the end is where the evil comes up and swallows our hero whole.

This is the "once upon a time" of a girl and her friends, and it is, unfortunately for them, one of the latter.

Once upon a time, there was a girl. She was not a very spectacular girl, nor was she exceptionally beautiful. In fact, she was quite a plain and altogether normal girl. She was not meant for a great destiny, and one did not find her. What did find her, however, was an adventure above and beyond what had ever transpired in her little world, and it left its mark on her as such.

The day was bright and sunny; the starly, pidgy, and spearow were merrily chirping and cawing outside, making it seem even more bright and cheery. Kelly O'Gyra had awoken early, eager to leave for the lab up the hill. She had slept fitfully, when she had slept at all, but this did not deter her in her mission to be up, packed, and dressed a full four hours before she was even due to leave the house. The only thing that broke her concentration on the little list she had been going over since dawn was the sound of her mother from the doorway behind her.

"How long are you going to go over that list? You'll wear a hole through it with your eyes soon!"

"But mom! I _have_ to make sure I have _everything_. I can't just come back home every time I run out of something! I have to make sure I have enough supplies to get me through until I can make some money."

"I know that sweety, but you also need to remember that we O'Gyras are a tough bunch. You have the knack like us all. We're resourceful, we survive, we soldier on. It's what we do, and we do it well."

"I know! But I still want to be sure. I've never even left the town and you and dad both told me about your adventures as kids in the forest!"

"Your father, rest his soul, was a trouble maker who drug me along in his wake!"

"But still..."

"Still your tongue is more like it, missy! Now finish up and come down to breakfast. The least I can do is see to it that you have one last good home-cooked meal before you're stuck on trainer rations and handouts."

Making her way downstairs after checking her pack one last time, Kelly had a hard time getting her food down, and watched the clock with the anticipation that children get just before Delibird comes on Christmas. When finally the time to leave had come, she hugged her mother goodbye and began to make her way up the hill to the lab at its summit. The facility took up over half of what made up Pallet Town, and it stood as an imposing trial to all the new trainers. Many lost nerve at the bottom of the hill, and would back down from it until the next year, when they would try again.

Reaching the top, the girl stood in back and listened to the professor welcome the new trainers to his lab.

"Welcome, new trainers! I'm Professor Samuel Oak. Today you start on your adventures as Pokemon trainers! Some of you will go on to take the gym challenge; others will complete your two year mandatory trainer period, enrolling in the academy and becoming professors and lab assistants yourselves. I hope you each have a wonderful and exciting life with your partner Pokemon, and that you can form the strong bond that makes being a trainer so special! Now then, if you'll all take a seat in the waiting room, we'll be calling you in for your interview, processing, and partner choosing."

The twelve or so potential trainers who were there sat down in a large area in the front of the complex, talking excitedly about what Pokemon they were thinking of asking for, where they were going after today, what their ambitions were, and who the top trainers to beat were once they were set loose into the world.

Slowly the number of those who had yet to be interviewed went down. After about the fifth or sixth of them had been called, a voice broke the nervous concentration of one girl.

"Kelly O'Gyra?"

With a start, Kelly got up and walked towards the door that led to the exam room.

"Please be seated. The Professor and Nurse Joy will be with you shortly."

"O...Okay..."

Not two minutes after the lab assistant had left the room, the older man from the morning speech and a bubbly, pink haired woman in a rather short skirted nurse's outfit walked in, seating themselves on the opposite side of the table from Kelly.

"Good morning, Kelly! As I am sure you know from my little speech this morning, I am Professor Oak. This is Nurse Carol Joy of the Official Pokemon League. We'll just be asking a few questions and going over your records from trainer school."

Kelly's heart caught in her throat. Her record? Her permanent school record? Her nerves all stood on end at once. While she had never done anything criminal, nor had she been abusive toward the school's Pokemon, she was still ranked as one of the lowest grade battlers in her class.

"I see your last name is O'Gyra? Was your father named Seamus by chance?"

"Ye..yes sir, he was."

"I'm sorry for your loss. He was always a favorite of mine. The consummate trouble maker!"

"I...didn't know him well, sir. He left when I was very small. My mother told me it was league related, but that was all she would say about it."

"I see. And how is Sarah these days?"

"She's fine sir." Kelly said, feeling a bit more confident now that they were talking about familiar things. "She was happy when I told her I wanted to be a trainer."

"Yes, let's get to that subject! What made you want to be a trainer?"

"Well sir, my mom told me about the "Triumvirate" incident. She was a trainer in Hoenn, as you know. She told me about how she had helped in the defeat of Team Aqua afterwards, and I wanted to make my own story. Something like hers. Getting to see a legendary like Rayquaza or Groudon. I wanted to make memories like that, and share them with my friends."

"Do you consider Pokemon to be your friends?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Oh yes! While we may battle them and test both ourselves and our Pokemon in what we do, they are still our friends. They grow with us, and we gain as much, if not more, than they do from the bonds we make and share."

"On the subject of battles," the professor went on, "I see you are actually ranked fairly low as far as battling goes. However, your pre and post battle preparation and care, as well as your knowledge of type matching and enthusiasm show a genuine want to become a better trainer for not only yourself, but also the Pokemon you lead. This will prove a great benefit for you out in the world. Do you have any ideas that might help to make you a better battler?"

"I'm really not sure," came the nervous reply, "I just try and do my best to study my opponent and judge my next best course of action from there. I feel that if I try my best and believe in my partner Pokemon, then even a loss counts as a win because of the knowledge we all gain."

The smile on Nurse Joy's face told Kelly the words that came next before they were even said.

"Kelly O'Gyra, congratulations on becoming a Pokemon trainer!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Look into the red square..."

"Okay."

"...Annnnnd smile pretty for the camera..."

~snachik~

"Alrighty, that's that! Just head over to the terminal with this card and follow the instructions on the screen. After you're done there, just head back to the seating area and they'll call you in for partner assigning."

"Okay, thank you."

***

"Please place your card into the slot."

"Thank you."

"Please place your thumb onto the black pad in front of you."

"Reading.......Thank you."

"Now printing.........."

***

After finishing her trainer card registration, Kelly began to feel even more nervous than she had earlier that morning. She sat in the waiting area and looked around nervously, seeing people sitting and chatting amongst themselves.

"Excuse me?"

The sound made her jump. Looking up, Kelly saw a girl about her age seemingly trying for some kind of punk rock look.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there."

"It's alright. Nervous?"

"Incredibly." Offering her hand, Kelly introduced herself. "Kelly O'Gyra of Pallet town."

"Kristen Ralta, but everyone calls me Kris. I'm from Cherry Grove."

A surprised look came across Kelly's face at the mention of the town this strange looking girl was from.

"You're Johtian?"

"Yeah, moved here when I was six, just before the quarantine."

"So your parents had Pokemon from there?"

"Still do. They were cleared right before the league stepped in and enforced the ban."

"Wow."

"Yeah. So anywhobee, whatcha gonna pick as your starter? I think I might go with a fire type or something. Some kind of mono type, I know that. Dual types can get kinda tricky right off the bat."

Kelly shook her head. "I know my mom sent one over as an egg a bit ago, but I have no clue what it is. She said it would "do me good" or something."

"Hey! I know! How about I pick a type yours is weak against? We could be rivals, like in the old stories!"

"Why would you want to do that? I mean, we only just met!"

"Hmm, you're right..." The Johtian girl tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Tell you what. How's about we travel together? I mean, if it's cool with you. I know the old stories always had strangers teaming up and traveling, becoming friends. I always wanted my adventure to be like that!"

"You sure do talk a lot about the old stories."

"Heh, yeah. Dad used to tell me all about the Johto legends back in the day. I grew up hearing about Lugia and Ho-Oh. Dad claims he even saw Suicune once, while he and his team were getting a drink from the "Lake of Rage", but I call BS on that." Kris grinned.

While the two girls talked, others were busy getting called up one by one to be paired up with their new partner Pokemon. They remained in conversation until a female voice called out.

"Kelly O'Gyra?"

As Kelly approached the front desk, Kris called out after her, "Don't forget to tell me what you got!"

"Okay!"

The lab tech that was standing behind the desk smiled at Kelly as she walked up.

"You would be Kelly, correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay...it says here that your mother sent an egg over for us to hatch for you. If you'll just register yourself in this Pokedex?"

The woman handed Kelly a small metal device that looked almost like a book. She seemed puzzled about what to do until the tech pressed a switch on the side, flipping the front open and allowing the friendly, if somewhat electronic, female voice to come from the speaker located below the glowing screen.

"Welcome to the Pokedex version 4.2. Please insert your trainer card into the bottom slot to confirm trainer status and activation of this unit."

Kelly slid her trainer card into the bottom of the device, waiting while the screen showed an image of an old style hourglass rotating in the middle of the screen.

"Thank you for waiting. This Pokedex is now registered to Kelly O'Gyra. You may now remove your trainer card and shut the front cover to switch the unit off."

Once the Pokedex was closed. The tech handed Kelly a small orb that was half red and half white, with a little silver button on the front. As she held the pokeball in her hands. Kelly was overcome with joy. She not only had gained a new friend to travel with, but she finally had her own Pokemon. Her days as a trainer had finally started!


	3. Chapter 3

"So...what did you get?" Kris asked eagerly.

"I don't know yet. I was waiting to open it until I got back over here."

All about the two girls the other new trainers were releasing their new partner Pokemon from their Pokeballs. The sounds of the Pokemon and the trainers mingled into a low cacophony, punctuated occasionally by one of the louder Pokemon, until finally...

"FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

All the trainers and staff looked at once to see a poor female trainer attempting to stand enough to aim and recall the frightened little Whismur that she had received. After a few seconds of trying, she finally got her chance and in a blur of red energy, the Pokemon returned. As soon as the ear splitting sound stopped, the entire room slowly stood and looked around. After everyone had noticed that the noise was over and the poor frightened Pokemon was safely back in its ball, the room burst into raucous laughter. The hapless girl was apologizing profusely, and her friends were all patting her back, laughing harder than anyone else.

"That was...interesting." Kelly commented after the laughter had died away.

"I know! The poor little thing!" Kris replied. "Anyway, what did you get?"

"Let's see!"

Tossing the ball to the floor, both Kelly and Kris watched as a shape slowly took form. When the red light finally faded, the shape that stayed was one not familiar to either of the girls.

"What is it?" asked Kris.

"I don't know. Let me ask the pokedex."

Pushing the switch to open the Pokedex, Kelly pointed the lens on the back at the little bundle of teeth and fin, waiting as the device looked up the appropriate data.

"Gible, the land shark Pokemon. This Pokemon nests in small horizontal holes near geothermal vents. It used to live in more tropical areas, but now is found exclusively in caves. It attacks using its large jaws, but is often injured itself due to its clumsy nature."

"Gible, huh? Looks like your mom wanted you to lose a hand or something!"

Kelly's small laugh in reply brought the attention of the little Pokemon onto her, and it tilted its whole body as it made a questioning little sound.

"He seems kinda like a big head with limbs and a fin. Well, hopefully mom knew what she was doing when she sent this over."

"So your family are all dragon tamers I guess?" asked Kris.

"Yeah," Kelly explained, "with me getting this Gible that makes everyone but my cousin Benny. He had a thing for ghost types, and one day my aunt happened across a Sableye while exploring."

"Man, a Sableye as your starter? I bet he's having a hard time!"

Just then, the same tech called out another name. "Kristen Ralta?"

"Whelp, that'd be me! I'll be right back, wait here, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Kelly replied, watching as both Kris went up for her turn at partner assignment and people began leaving the lab individually and in small groups.

Kris came back shortly after leaving, a big smile on her face.

"You seem to be in a good mood! Did they have one you wanted?"

"You betcha!" replied Kris, beaming. "I got me a Snorunt!"

As she told her new friend this news, she released the little triangular Pokemon from its ball. The Snorunt seemed confused at first, as though it had not been out of its ball in some time. Then, with a small squeak, it started to run around in circles, shivering. Kris bent down and picked up the little quivering bundle, offering comforting words as she rocked it gently.

"Hush now, it's okay. I'm your new trainer! My name is Kris, and I'm gonna take really, really good care of you!"

Kelly, after seeing this exchange, turned to her Gible. "My name is Kelly. I guess we'll be partners from now on!"

The Gible, upon hearing this, began to dance from foot to foot, waving its arms and smiling as big as it could. Suddenly, it leapt forward and chomped down on Kelly's outstretched hand, smiling and making happy noises the whole time.

"Excitable lil' bugger, ain't he?" Kris commented with a laugh, still rocking her shivering bundle soothingly.

"Yeah....you could say that." Kelly replied through a smile and gritted teeth. "I think I'll call him Chompy."

Kris laughed at the name. "Yeah, he seems like a Chompy! How about you little one?" Kris addressed her own Pokemon. "How does Lacy sound?"

The little Snorunt waved its arms and yelled its approval. "Runt! Sno, snorunt!"

Dislodging her hand from Chompy's mouth, Kelly looked about the room they were in. There were only a few trainers left- a group of two girls, and a boy who was receiving his new partner Pokemon.

"I guess we should head out then?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, we should get going." replied Kris, returning Lacy to her pokeball.

As Kelly returned Chompy to his, the two girls stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air as new trainers ready for their first steps in the world.

"So...where were you headed?" asked Kris, "I was just going to head to Veridian."

"Veridian sounds like a great plan!" Kelly agreed. "We can get some potions and other supplies."

"Yeah, it's getting pretty late too. We should probably stay the night in the center, and buy ourselves a tent in the morning." Kris said, sounding a little unsure about whether they would make it that far in the daylight remaining.

"No time like the present!" Kelly said encouragingly.

Just as they were about to head off, they suddenly heard a popping sound. Turning around, the two trainers were surprised to see both of their Pokemon had come out of their balls.

:"I guess they don't like being cooped up?" Kelly wondered out loud.

"Well no, the poor babies!" Kris exclaimed. "They just want to be out here with us seeing the world and breathing in the fresh air, not locked away in some stuffy Pokeball!"

"We can't have all of our Pokemon out like this Kris," Kelly said, worry creeping into her voice, "there will be too many of them to keep an eye on!"

"Hmm." Kris agreed. "How about this. We leave these two out, and the rest we can keep in their balls while traveling. They can come out at night and during meal time, okay? That way, we can keep everyone happy!"

"That sounds just fine. Now let's go before we get stuck outdoors when the Pokemon center closes!"

And with that, the two girls and their Pokemon set off out of town, heading for their first stop on their Pokemon adventure.


End file.
